1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a controller for human interaction in video games with any computer video game machine system including video game usage on personal computers and hand held video games as well.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System is cited under U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,200. This controller is one example of the features present in most prior art video game controller inventions. The hard plastic button projections have rough hard edges that can cause injury to the skin due to collision during video game playing. The downward pressure in conjunction with the skin collision causes blisters and physically stresses the tendons and muscles of the hand. Another disadvantage to the controller is that the buttons are not engaged until they are displaced a distance inward. The reaction time to depress a button is small but with current fasted paced video games a reduction in the time of switch engagement can result in the difference of winning instead of losing a video game.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,426 is a controller for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This patented invention is a slight improvement on the old version of the Nintendo controller. The design of the controller reduces the harshness of the touchable surfaces by rounding edges and using softer materials for the button projections. This design only diminishes the blistering effect on the skin. The stress on the tendons and muscles of the hands has not been decreased by this design because the buttons still require pressure to be engaged. The buttons for the Super Nintendo controller must be depressed inward which reduces the player's reaction time. Occasionally with this type of controller design, the buttons are not depressed hard enough or the switch contacts are worn which prevents engagement of the switches; as a result this can cause the end of the game and give frustration to the player.
The Human-Machine Interface Apparatus invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,691 is an invention that primarily delivers a touch sensitive device that by intent can only be used to provide x and y axis information. The information is an analog form of processing which has to be precisely calibrated and converted to digital form to be used with computers. The "mouse", "light pen" or "touch screen" of current technology for personal computers do the same function with little or no bulky device in the way.
The objective of the Video Game Apparatus and Method invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,011 is to eliminate projecting knobs and buttons by transferring them all to one uniformly smooth surface which prevents injury from collision with knobs or levers. The intent of this invention is to allow two-axis motions without the use of two separate knobs or levers. The objective is for a good reason but the method is flawed when it comes to video games of current fast paced nature. The reason for this is when interacting with a video game the eyes can not leave the screen to look for different access points on a flat surface, even for a moment, or precious seconds could be lost. The information output is a simple two dimensional co-ordinate which is a great limitation because the complex video games of today need more input information from the user on a multi-function level.
The patented invention under U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,670 entitled Touch Sensitive Electronic Switch is designed with two electrodes in close proximity with each other. Two separate electrodes are required for each button. The design is such that pressure, although slight, is required to engage the switch, thereby defeating the touch sensitivity. The invention discloses electrically conductive gloves or an electrically conductive cover for certain applications of the invention; nevertheless, these disclosures again defeat the purpose of the touch sensitive invention. The patented material does not specifically state the possibility for it to be used for video game systems. The invention does disclose an amplifier in order to produce the touch sensitivity feature but only when both electrodes on a single switch are bridged by the skin of a finger.
One objective of the game controller of this invention is to eliminate the pushing down of buttons by using touch sensitive circuitry. Another objective of this new invention is to keep the electrical conductive contact points as smooth and/or soft as possible. The invention reduces stress on the tendons and muscles of the hands including skin blisters and increases reaction time. A plurality of singularly electrically conductive touch sensitive contact points project out of the controller so that the player can distinguish between the various buttons with the sense of touch. Different variations of the embodiment can be combined to produce basic touch sensitive controllers, controllers with diagonal contact points for ease of directional control, controllers with oscillators that can be adjusted and are engaged with one touch sensitive contact point for rapid fire, controllers that can be wireless, controllers that can store a combination of moves in memory, and controllers that contain amplifier circuitry to enhance the existing touch sensitivity by decreasing the need of bridging two conducting points to only touching one singularly electrical contact point. The design is a combination of circuits joined in this manner to create a new video game controller. The appearance of the invention has rounded edges, smooth buttons, and is small enough to fit comfortably within the palms of the two hands.